Chapter 15

Fuck. Why didn't I turn it on vibrate? When I'm alone, I have the ringer on which I changed to the song that expresses my mood. I needed to bring it with me because tonight's the night.

She rolls off me and goes to the bathroom. I hear her mumbling to herself but can't make out what she's saying. Maybe she's singing. Emerging in a silky floral pink robe, with her hair tied up, she strolls out of the bedroom without speaking to me.

I rush to my phone, and it's my handler. I tap out, give me a few minutes. I look to see my personal phone is in the other pocket when it rings. Letting out a sigh, I grab that one which is the normal ringtone. When I look at it, it's Tessa.

She's standing in the doorframe. "Changed it back already?"

"Tessa."

"Why are you lying to me?"

"I'm not."

She scoffs. "Maybe I don't know you at all."

"You know the important parts."

She cuts me off. "I know you're lying to me. That's what I know. Don't think because I'm a decade younger than you that I can't spot a liar. Yeah, I know that you draw when you're stressed. Salmon is your favorite food. Bourbon is your drink of choice. And you don't like to be inside, preferring nature. I know something went down between you and Beau when you were kids, and you recently found your way back. I know you, Beau, and Vanessa have matching infinity tattoos. But I don't know what happened or why."

I pull on my boxers, then reach for her. She flinches at my touch.

"You know more than anyone knows about me other than Beau and Vanessa. I love you, and I'll tell you everything about them but not tonight. Tonight is about celebrating the beautiful Tessa Lee Hatton. Come here."

Seconds tick by before she slams into my chest. "Something feels different to me. I can't put my finger on it."

"Are you getting cold feet?" I ask.

"Of course not. You feel different… tense."

I press a kiss to the top of her head. My fiancée's intuition is on target. "I'm not used to large productions and am certain I haven't had on a tux since prom when I put it on while my parents took pictures and discarded the suit as soon as I got to the high school."

"Thank you for humoring me tonight." She leans her head back to look at me. "At least the wedding will be low key."

She seems to buy my line. It's not a total lie—I do hate big crowds. I take her hair down from the clasp. "Remember I love you, no matter what happens."

"Our party will be perfect. Don't worry."

"You better get in the shower."

"Join me?"

"In a minute. I need to call Beau and grab a glass of water. Do you want me to bring you one?"

"Umm, I'll take a LaCroix," she says, twisting her lips as she thought about it.

When she goes into the bathroom, I pull on my jeans and go outside to call my handler from the ATF. My instincts tell me there's a problem, but when we talk, he assures me the trackers are working, and the timeline is precise. The delivery will be during the engagement party, giving Tessa's dad cover as needed. Hopefully, my plan will go off without a hitch.

All afternoon, we listen to music and practice our dance moves.

Taking her in my arms, our lips lightly touch, not wanting to smear the pink stain she's applied. "You're gorgeous every day, but tonight, you're next-level beautiful." I check my watch. "Is thirty-nine minutes fashionably late, or does it have to be forty-five?"

She giggles, and my heart grows at the sound. "Let's do this. I want to show off my man."

The coordinator taps her microphone. "The doves have arrived."

Inwardly, I chuckle because I'm not the only one using codewords tonight.

The rich mahogany doors in the midst of an entire wall of windows give us a peek at what's inside. Vanessa chose windows you can see in but can't see out, creating an unmatched ambience. Two men pull the doors open, and the emcee announces, "Let's congratulate Mr. Beckett Landry and Ms. Tessa Hatton on their engagement. The happy couple will be having a destination beach wedding, but they wanted to share a dance with you."

There must be four hundred people here. When she told me, I thought she was kidding. I can't dance in front of this many people. But on cue, Ain't No Mountain High Enough fills the room. Twirling her into my arms and onto the dance floor, I lose myself in her smile. We perform like no one is watching. When the song is over, Beau and Maverick stick two fingers in their mouths, whistling. I feel my face heating. The applause dies down, and I take the microphone.

"You all lucked out tonight that I'm not Beau who would talk your head off." Laughter ensues. "Tessa and I would like to thank you for coming tonight to celebrate with us. She's turned my world right side up, and I can't remember my life before I met her. We'd like to thank Beau and Vanessa for hosting us at this beautiful venue."

I look up at the high ceilings, showcasing intricate wooden craftsmanship, and the decorative chandeliers hanging overhead, casting a soft, romantic glow.

"I'd like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Hatton for formally introducing us and bringing me into their family."

Tessa grabs the microphone. "And I feel the same about the Landry's. We've arranged for drivers, so please eat, drink, and dance until you can't."

Beau pulls Tessa away from me as a new song starts, so I dance with Vanessa. "Hey, you."

"Beck, you're even more handsome when you're in love and in a tuxedo. Over the last five years, I never thought I'd see you in a tux." Vanessa grins and straightens my lapel.

"It's strange that I don't feel awkward."

"I think you're finally coming into your own."

I nod as we dance slow, cheek to cheek.

When the song ends, I talk low into Vanessa's ear. "You saved me. At the time, I didn't know why you would, and now, I do."

She pulls back a smidge. "Why?"

"For Tessa. I was made to love her, and you knew I was worth saving."

"Does she know what you did?"

Shaking my head, "No. But after tonight, I plan on telling her everything."

We look at Tessa dancing with Beau. They're moving fast to a slow song because Tessa loves to dance fast, no matter how slow the music is. She's a breath of fresh fucking air.

Vanessa is truly happy for us. "She's perfect for you—for all of us. I can't wait until the wedding."

Leaning down, I press a kiss to her cheek. Their four-year-old boys, Matthew and Mitchell, run out, and we all dance together. I watch my fiancée with rapt attention. How she holds my nephews' hands and picks Mitchell up, squeezing him as he giggles.

My stomach churns as I know what's going to take place tonight. I just hope I've convinced the ATF that I have a better way of catching a much bigger fish.

Her dad steals her away from me, and I dance with her mom. Then my parents come out to dance. Before we know it, we've been dancing for an hour.

Tessa grabs my hand and drags me to the buffet. "I'm so hungry, I may pop out of my dress."

"I'd like that. Maybe I could have dessert first," I tease.

I love how she twists her lips when considering my proposal. "No, I'm being a good girl tonight."

"Promise."

She slaps my hand as I grab her ass. "I love it when you praise me."

"I love it when you're a good girl, letting me…" My phone buzzes in my pocket.

Her eyes narrow. "Everyone we know is here. Who's calling?"

"It's a text from Beau." I search the room, finding Beau at the back entrance for staff.. "Babe, I'll be right back."

"I'm coming with you."

"Stay, please," I say with more force than I should and rush the crowd, trying not to alarm anyone.

Walking outside, I slam into a furious Beau. "The master distiller used a barrel pick to taste the Barron's 69 and to his surprise, nothing came out. What the hell happened? There are guns in our fucking warehouse."

Caught in a web of deceit, my head drops, and I sweep my shoe over the grass. "Change of plans. I'm trying to keep Mr. Hatton out of jail."

"By putting me in jail?" Beau folds his hands over his waist.

"Of course not. It's all worked out; the agency is on board. I have it in writing."

Beau wanders over to me, placing his hand on my arm. "I hope you know what you're doing, brother. Nothing is worth losing the woman you love."

Nodding in agreement, I ask, "Which warehouse is the barrel in?"

"Smarty Jones, tract five." They name all of their warehouses after derby winners.

I make a call to the point man of the St. Louis MC who has been here for a couple of days, waiting for this to happen. This is the point it can all go sideways if their crew double crosses me and the ATF. It'll take a couple of hours for the men to load the barrel and get it to the abandoned warehouse off State Road 32, so I have a little more time to soak in my engagement party.

Relieved everything seems to be going to plan, I tell Beau, "We should get back to the ladies."

Tessa, Serita, and Vanessa are dancing to Jump from Van Halen. Beau and I watch, amused as their hair has fallen, lost its curl, and their shoes are strewn across the edge of the dance floor, but pure happiness lives in every bounce of their step, every fist pump in the air, and every sway of their hips.

This is what I want and need for the rest of my life.

Beau and I grab our ladies, and Gunner inches over by Serita and takes her under his wing, and they head to the bar.

As the night winds down, I kiss Tessa and tell her I'll meet her at the cabin.

"No, you can't leave."

"I have to. You have to trust me if we're going to have a chance."

She saws her plump bottom lip with her teeth. "Okay."

Tessa is caught between her heart and her mind sending up red flags.

"If anyone asks tell them I have a surprise for you, I need to get ready."

"Do you?"

I smile, spinning he around, rubbing my erection against her toned, perky ass. "Always."

Stopping at the table where my parents are enjoying the company of old friends, I kiss them good night. "Thanks for coming. We'll have lunch at the distillery tomorrow. We'll probably sleep in late. How's two sound?"

"Of course, Beck. We love Tessa and can't wait for the wedding next month," Mom says hugging me tight, then patting my cheek.

"Me either."

I need all of this behind me and then think about a new career, but that's for another day. Tonight, I have to focus on not losing her. If she knows I was trying to put her dad in jail, she'll never forgive me. At the last minute, I had the St. Louis crew deliver guns to an abandoned warehouse where the exchange would take place with the Chicago syndicate, making it appear that the St. Louis crew stole them from Hatton.

My ATF phone vibrates in my pocket. The message reads:

Charlie Mike, which in military terms, means continue mission.

Riddler jogs up behind me. "Hatton was running toward the parking lot. One barrel is unaccounted for, and he's freaking out."

"Fuck. Just found out that one barrel was misdirected and ended up in the distillery."

The plan is playing out perfectly.

"We need that barrel, or we're going to have bullets in our back," he says with a cautious laugh.

"The guns are taken care of. Take out Hatton. He's on the Harley CVO Road Glide with the Whiskey Neat and Raven Metallic paint job."

Since I'm the president of the MC, Riddler nods and then gestures for me to turnaround, and he takes off and will undoubtedly follow my orders, or the MC would take him to church. Church is where patched members vote people and/or deals, in or out.

Tessa stands with her hands over her mouth. Lighting from the venue illuminating the giant tears forming in her eyes.

"How long have you been eavesdropping?" I ask.

She stutters, "Are… are you trying to… to kill Daddy?"

I walk toward her, taking her hands in mine, but she jerks them away.

"Answer me, dammit," she demands through gritted teeth. Her face is red, and those tears fall over her flawless skin.

"It's not how it sounded."

"You described his Harley and said, ‘Take him out.'"

"Believe me, I'm trying to save him, but I have to go. There's not much time."

"If anything happens to my father, I will never forgive you."

She storms back inside, and I mumble to myself, "I know."

Hopping onto my bike, and pushing the kickstand up, I rev the engine and peel out, heading towards the rendezvous point. The thirty-mile ride takes me twenty but occasionally, I feel like I'm being followed.

As I step into the shadowy world of the underground, I tread carefully. Surveying every vehicle parked. Two medium-size produce trucks sit outside, presumably to transport the guns to Chicago.

I tap my ATF phone, pulling up a live feed. Breathing a sigh of relief —everyone is here except Hatton and Riddler.